Is your barn safe from intruders?

Katherine F · Well Schooled

Is your barn safe from intruders?

justice · Grand Prix

Human yes. There is almost always somebody here, I have beepers at all four corners of my property and at both ends of the driveway that go off when something large enough passes. The barn is on a monitour. Spotlight sensors as well, in front of the barn and garage. Also have a shotgun over the front door but, so far, the neighbours have been civilized : )

Critters, no. Having a run with barn rats. Tho my grain is in a seperate building, hay is upstairs, and the barn/stall doors are wide open, the little : )ers insist on digging in under the foundation less than a foot from any given open door. No other damage and fortunately they aren't constructing a warren under the stall floor but what a PIA!

-- Edited by justice on Monday 6th of December 2010 10:32:10 AM

dbliron · Advanced

That's a particularly valid questions these days, unfortunately! There have been 2 horse thefts in BC this fall, and several in Alberta. I came home one day from a short trip off the property to discover the RCMP in the yard, corraling all our horses. Some of the neighbourhood kids had dropped in and opened all the gates. The Mounties were doing pretty well, except that they'd put the stallion in with the geldings across a fence from the mares...thankfully he was so stunned by the whole situation that nothing happened and I got things sorted out!

Since then we've had a closed front gate, and three large, noisy, and very determined Airedales patrolling the property. It's very unusual for no one to be home or in the barn here, but there's always a window olf time which can't be accounted for. The word's out in the neighbourhood about our dogs, which I consider a bonus, particularly as several neighbours have experienced break-ins.

justice · Grand Prix

To be broken into or tresspassed upon is such a huge personal space violation! Can be a frightening experience, too. The kind of mind that engages in such activities is not a sound one to begin with.

draftdriver · Yearling

OK, so how do you manage a locked gate and such things as furnace oil deliveries, electricity meter readers, etc? Do they have to schedule times for them to be there?

Marlene · Advanced

These types of service and trades people usually want someone home and will tell you a rough time that they will be there. I notice the hydro meter readers now have some telescopic thing that allows them to read the meter from the roadway, but they used to estiimate the meter and just send a person in occasionally. Package delivery is different, Fedex guys are brave enough to come in with our dogs there, Purolator guys are more chicken and just have the office call me to pick up.lol.

dbliron · Advanced

Isn't that interesting, Marlene - I've noticed the same thing about FedEx v. Purolator!

The gates aren't locked, but they are closed and latched, which means that I could charge with trespassing anyone not invited in. That sounds anti-social, which we're not, but quite honestly we've been harassed by unbelievable people over time. The worst was the couple who drove into the parking area, found me in the arena, and announced that they were going to report us to the SPCA for cruelty to animals because we "blindfolded" our horses in the pastures. It took 30 minutes of explanation, and demonstration of fly masks, before they were satisfied and left. We've had people gratuitously drive in and offer advice about keeping our horses, training our horses, and even our landscaping! We had a neighbour who used to drop in to feed them whatever she had sitting around her kitchen...

Most services prefer appointments, and that's much easier to fit into my day, and often theirs. We like our privacy, and the feeling that our property is our own.

wilson · Foal

Beepers in the corner?
Please explain I am interested!

justice · Grand Prix

Hi, Wilson, and welcome : )

My working property is almost a perfectly square 5 acres abutting a rectangular piece about 4 acres wooded. I put sensors in each corner of the open yard. MY driveway is close to 1000 ft from paved cow-path to house.

Might seem like overkill but I have had several incidents of vandalism and gross stoooopitity involving teenage boys on the edge of a small town. More than once my horses have been disturbed, or even better, chased out of the field in the middle of the night. The kids have no clue as to the danger they are imposing and are evidently illiterate (posted/PP signs every 10 feet) so I just try to get to the gate first : )

Long, multiple stories abbreviated: I just chaulk it up to adventures in equine ruralville.

-- Edited by justice on Tuesday 7th of December 2010 04:17:17 PM

Marlene · Advanced

I have the same, latched but not locked. Blindfolded horses, that would be funny. There are some weird people that seem to think it's their business to "help" with animals. Some people used to call our dogs out onto the road and treat them, they thought our dogs were neglected or something. So I'd rather have them on the road? That's why we put up a fence eventually. Lately some nutcake was throwing rocks at one of my dogs. When I questioned her about why, she said my dog "attacked" her. These dogs are never outside the fence and the gate is always closed. Then she admitted the dog actually only barked at her from inside the fence. duh, so throwing rocks at her will teach her to like you better and not bark? Then she threatened to call the cops to expose my marijuana grow op that she knew I had???? I said call them over, I'd love to give them a tour! There are such nutty people out there, it scares me.
I've always said, You can predict what animals will do, but you can't predict what some people will do.
I'm actually surprised that no one reported me for animal cruelty when I had to temporarily put a grazing muzzle on my ballooning Arab mowing down the spring grass.
-- Edited by Marlene on Tuesday 7th of December 2010 06:56:55 PM

-- Edited by Marlene on Tuesday 7th of December 2010 07:01:01 PM

-- Edited by Marlene on Tuesday 7th of December 2010 07:54:19 PM

justice · Grand Prix

My neighbours, all 12 families, kindly petitioned for the closure of my yard due to the dead horses I left sunbathing (5 out of 7)... they were appalled that the local SPCA chapter refused to act on it as the horses were still breathing (SPCA knows me well, I have bailed them out many times). Gotta love some of the nutbags in this world. They are GENUINE entertainment : )

Julius · Well Schooled

@ Marlene - I have had a kid (about 14yr) throwing rocks at my German Shep. I wasn't so nice. I ran out, jumpped all the deck steps, over my 4'' hedge and over my almost 5'' fence, ran down the street after him, screaming at him .... I'm glad he ran REAL fast cause I don't know what I would have done to him if I would of cought up to him. Then I came back home and waited to see if the cops were going to take me away! .... then I looked at the path I took and couldn't figure out how I jumped all that!!

@ Justice, you have to love ignorant people! When we had our horses at home, someone called the SPCA because they were in mud. We had 3 paddocks all open so they could choose where they wanted to be so they chose to play in the mud.
I respect your sence of humor, will try to learn from it :)

wilson · Foal

Thank you , can you tell me what kind of sensors they are...the brand name...where you purchased them from...how they are powered ...how they are hooked up?

justice · Grand Prix

Hey Julius : )
People certainly can be tough to deal with sometimes, I can't say what I would have done had I physically caught the kids (12-16, 6 of them) running thru my yard. I threatened them with their parents and the cops. Didn't deter them tho fortunately most of the vandalism stopped. They just harass the horses if they are in a certain, more accessable area so I turn out in others at different times. I am hoping the kids are going to grow out of it as they have proven to be a bit retaliative at times. What sx is when I was a kid, (I know, that phrase sx too : ). I would have gotten my : ) shot full of rocksalt for disturbing property (not harmlessly trespassing), live or otherwise (then Dad would've handed me my head when I got home). In today's age of litigation, I can only imagine what eternal chaingang in Arizona I would end up on if I blew a few nuggets up these kids' butts....right?
I hope to not be offensive toward anybody directly in my humour, I admit a struggle with cynicism every day and can be arrogant but I won't realize it til three days later. Not sure that offers the best lesson.... but thank you : )

Hey Wilson : )
I have just the cheapie little battery-run motion sensor things, paid about $100 for the whole rig, one end attaches outside to whatever, within the range (mine are at 100 feet from the house or less except for the DW, that's a different system) and set the reciever somewhere general in the house. When stuff triggers the outside, we get a certain beep/tone/bell/etc in the house. Far from an official or bona fide system. These items can be found at any Electronic store. You can also look online and google security systems. Some are incredibly technical, others, like mine, are sublimely simple.

dbliron · Advanced

Hey, Justice:

I have NEVER found you to be arrogant! Very funny, to the point, understanding, sympathetic, helpful, yes, but arrogant, not at all.

justice · Grand Prix

Well! Aren't I just all that and a free trim now, ay?!! (insert queen's wave smiley here)..heeheehee! Thanks, DB, you are generous : )

Just like with horses, 'never' and 'always' rarely apply with any accuracy. Just cos we never have doesn't mean we never will. 'Always' works the same way : )

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

Justice, I have to ditto what dbliron has said, no worries with us! aww

I have to say that my worst experience with intruders was when I first started riding, I was lucky enough to befriend the owner's daughter in grade school and got to sleep over at their farm almost every weekend. Being young, and wanting to trail ride all of time, we often begged the trainer to take us out, which meant that we had to be standing in the barn at 4am sharp! (since the trainer actually had a job of training horses, and that was the only free time he had) Fortunately, we had scheduled in an early ride in the snow, and as we crawled out of bed at 3am and peered out the window (bedroom window facing the far off barn) with excitement of riding "the big horses" out on the trails, we seen the smoke pouring off the barn. From there it is sort of a blur (getting parents out of bed, 911, calls from barn staff arriving, getting down to the barn, helping to get horses out etc.) Luckily there were only 20 horses in the barn (79 stall facility -- went private, down graded amount of horses), and that it is a cinder block barn, with limited storage for hay. All horses made it out, and recovered, and the barn is still standing.

3 teenage boys thought it would be "funny" to light the hay on fire, no other reason, just that simple disbelief

-- Edited by Nikki Salo on Thursday 9th of December 2010 11:48:45 AM

justice · Grand Prix

Thank you, Nikki and DB! Nice to be appreciated : )

Barn fires frighten me more than anything. Not much else does. Fire is a living thing with a mind of its own so even with a plan, the risks are great, the cost can be high.

-- Edited by justice on Saturday 11th of December 2010 11:13:35 AM

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

Very much in agreement with you Justice, barn fires scare the crap out of me, more then anything else that I can think of that is horse related. The facility where this happened was very fortunate that they had a lot going for them (minimal horses in facility, facility made of cinder blocks, and minimal hay stored away from the horses). When I took Management of the Equine Environment, we had a chief fireman as a guest speaker with great tips on preventing barn fires, and preventing the spread of barn fires (such as, only keep as much hay as needed in the barn etc.), but the best tip that he gave us was have your local fire department send somebody out to your facility to become familiar with it incase there is ever an emergency. Fire fighters are often volunteer, and their training is specific to getting people out of houses, not with handling horses, so to take things one step further he suggested that you open your facility to the fire crew for a day and/or weekend and teach them how to lead a horse and how to blind fold a horse with a sweater/blanket/whatever. I think these are the two best tips because it'll save time if the crew knows the layout of your facility (where to get water on the property if you have a pond) and the fire crew will be more confident in going in and bringing horses out if they know how to lead them. Also, they can show you how to properly use a fire extinguisher and give you tips for around your facility (such as fire extinguishers at every exit for easy access in emergencies).

justice · Grand Prix

I am one of those volunteers Nikki mentions : ) tho in many a small town, VFFs are frequently farmers and slightly but only SLIGHTY familiar with HORSEpeople. As I said, they are farmers (cow/pig/goat/hay folk). On their behalf, Life, in any form, is the goal : )

I can't emphasize enough the need for a familiar plan among your barn members, the horses and with your local FD. Nikki has offered excellent advice! I don't know one FF worth his/her gear or a Dept. that would turn down an opportunity to help organize and implement any assistance you might need, as often as you might need it.

Many if not most barnfires are electrically inspired. Combusting hay is not common but the worst for indiscriminately taking life and property. Lightning happens often enough. Human errour.. needless to say...

Keep chemicals in a seperate shed, period. Hay, too (seperate from the chems, natch : ), if possible. IF no seperate hay storage, vent the : ) out of your storage area.

Pay daily homage to your waterline, have an extra lenght or two of spare, dry hose nearby, 'specially in lower temps. If you have a sprinkler system, check it often (here in the States, once a structure is of a cetain square footage, most insurance companies will require a sprinkler system regardless of what the structure houses).

BOTHER to keep ALL electrical outlets clean and clear. Check often for hay/dust/cobwebs around them as well as inside the housing. Sparks love dry air and fuel and will rise to the occasion at the slightest opportunity.

Maintain a minimum clearance in the aisle if your barn has an aisle. Be careful to not let tack trunks and tools and just stuff accumulate within the full swing/slide of any door, stalls and exits 'specially.

Keep all door space clear. Watch for drifting in the snowy months, nothing breaks a back (or a nose..) faster than trying to quickly slide/swing a door open thru a drift.

Have a halter and ATTACHED lead at EVERY occupied stall. As once said: NO time to find ANYthing BUT a way out when a fire involves.

Might be fun and even comical but seriously: practice haltering quickly and running out of the barn WITH the horses. Good ol' fashioned fire drills! Make it a game day to start : ) Practice this as a group OFTEN and not always at noon.. plan for the once a month evening.. Not uncommon for many fires to begin between midnight and 5 am. Know where you want everyone to go TO tho this might not always be the same place, depending on where the fire develops and how your Dept has to approach it. The repetition of hustling will eventually allow the horses to "go along with a familiar game" instead of atypically resist an atypical action at the height of drama. **If possible, allow horses to be handled by other than their regulars as in a fire, you can't wait. Might not work for all horses or handlers but worth the effort if it makes the difference between LIFE and BBQ for someone's beloved pet or themselves.

Shouldn't need to be said again but for the sake of even one life and because I genuinely care about you guys : ), be sure all barn members are informed and familiar on the use and placement of your fire extinguishers. Again, there isn't one FF that won't help you out here.